Naked Shakespeare selling well despite critics

On 8 Jul, 18:23, P Diddle <pdidd... RemoveThis @diddle.dee> wrote:
> MacDuff in the buff: Nude Shakespeare sells despite critics
>
> By Matthew Barakat, Associated Press
>
> ARLINGTON, Va. - Audience reactions to the Washington Shakespeare
> Company's Macbeth are telling: Folks in the front sometimes cringe and
> move back a few rows during intermission. One man watched the play
> with a program in front of his eyes, blocking out the lower half of
> his field of vision.
>
> Clearly, an all-nude production of the Shakespearean tragedy is not
> for everyone.
>
> Despite mixed reviews, the play has drawn healthy audiences to the
> small theater company's playhouse in Northern Virginia, and the
> director and cast say the production is fulfilling its artistic
> vision: exposing the primal nature of man's ambitions and fears.
>
> The play's director, Jose Carrasquillo, said he was inspired to create
> a radically different visual presentation after reading the same
> histories of the Scottish people that Shakespeare is believed to have
> read before writing Macbeth. They described "a really tribal, almost
> animallike clan and society," Carrasquillo said. "I thought it would
> be amazing to do a show with this feel in mind."
>
> Then he focused on the three witches who open the play. Carrasquillo
> envisioned them as conjurers who actually bring the players in Macbeth
> to life. So in his version, the actors begin on stage as trees and
> come to life, naked and dirty, only after the witches make it so.
>
> FIND MORE STORIES IN: Shakespeare
> At no point are any of the actors covered, except for some mudlike
> makeup on their bodies. And all 10 performers remain on stage for the
> entire performance. The three witches, for example, crouch and scour
> and watch the action from the sidelines of the bare triangular stage,
> hissing their approval as the plot moves toward the vision they have
> foretold.
>
> Cast members say the audience response has varied from performance to
> performance. Kathleen Akerley, who plays Lady Macbeth, said the
> audience has been much more willing to volunteer its opinions, both
> positive and negative.
>
> "It's been a really fascinating phenomenon," Akerley said. Almost
> always, audience members will say they quickly got used to the nudity.
> But she suspects that while some people acclimate themselves, others
> merely block it out of their minds, which to a certain extent blunts
> its intended impact.
>
> An especially telling scene - in terms of audience reaction - occurs
> in the second act, when a drunken porter pointedly refers to alcohol's
> effect on lechery and sexual arousal. The humorous scene evokes
> laughter from some audiences and uncomfortable silence from others,
> said Sasha Olinick, who portrays the porter.
>
> "It forces (the audience) to recognize that your own mores, your own
> values come into play," Olinick said.
>
> There was some initial apprehension on opening night, Akerley said,
> when a few men arrived alone and early, muttering to themselves. But
> leering reactions have been a rarity.
>
> "The nudity in this play is not at all sexual or titillating," said
> Heather Haney, who plays one of the witches. "It's about being
> completely human."
>
> Akerley acknowledged some initial reservations about performing in the
> nude.
>
> "I was clinging to vanity. I didn't want to look unattractive," she
> said.
>
> But the actors said the fact that they were all in it together,
> including frequent rehearsals in the buff to become comfortable with
> the concept - helped develop a sense of camaraderie.
>
> "We had to support each other," said Daniel Eichner who plays Macbeth.
> "It really feels to me like a true ensemble performance."
>
> While Shakespeare has been subject to innumerable interpretations, and
> nudity is far from uncommon in theater, an all-nude production by a
> serious Shakespeare company is a rarity. Most reviews have not been
> favorable, particularly about the nudity. The Washington Post wrote
> that the lack of clothing lent an indistinguishable quality to the
> characters.
>
> "Clothes remain primary signifiers of an individual's place in a
> culture, so once apparel is cast aside, social boundaries become less
> clear," reviewer Celia Wren wrote.
>
> The theater's artistic director, Christopher Henley, who also plays
> both Duncan and Macduff, said criticism was not unexpected in
> Washington, which he said is a theatrically conservative town.
>
> While the 106-seat playhouse is fuller than it has been in several
> years, Henman said there have also been more intermission walkouts
> than before.
>
> "That's what happens when you take chances," Henley said.
>
> The production had been scheduled to conclude July 15, but it has been
> extended for another week.
>
> Macbeth is bringing to a close a six-month Shakespeare festival in
> Washington that has seen a variety of experimentation by multiple
> theater companies.
>
> In one, Macbeth was performed entirely in Tlingit, an American Indian
> language unique to southeast Alaska and Canada and spoken fluently by
> fewer than 300 people. At the Kennedy center, the New York-based Tiny
> Ninja Theater used inch-high toy ninjas and a large projection screen
> to retell Hamlet.



"Friends,Romans, Countrymen..lend me your............????"

"Now is the winter of our discontent (Geee.It is so cold being like
this.")

"Romeo..Romeo...why don't you put something on?"


"What a rogue without any clothing am I"

and do not forget:

Coriol Anus

King Leer

Tits Andronicus

Much Ado about Nothing On

Measure for Measure (How big is it??)

As You like it (see above) ch (insane)
 >> Stay informed about: Naked Shakespeare selling well despite critics 

On Jul 8, 5:23 pm, P Diddle <pdidd... RemoveThis @diddle.dee> wrote:
> MacDuff in the buff: Nude Shakespeare sells despite critics
>
> By Matthew Barakat, Associated Press
>
> ARLINGTON, Va. - Audience reactions to the Washington Shakespeare
> Company's Macbeth are telling: Folks in the front sometimes cringe and
> move back a few rows during intermission. One man watched the play
> with a program in front of his eyes, blocking out the lower half of
> his field of vision.
>
> Clearly, an all-nude production of the Shakespearean tragedy is not
> for everyone.
>
> Despite mixed reviews, the play has drawn healthy audiences to the
> small theater company's playhouse in Northern Virginia, and the
> director and cast say the production is fulfilling its artistic
> vision: exposing the primal nature of man's ambitions and fears.
>
> The play's director, Jose Carrasquillo, said he was inspired to create
> a radically different visual presentation after reading the same
> histories of the Scottish people that Shakespeare is believed to have
> read before writing Macbeth. They described "a really tribal, almost
> animallike clan and society," Carrasquillo said. "I thought it would
> be amazing to do a show with this feel in mind."
>
> Then he focused on the three witches who open the play. Carrasquillo
> envisioned them as conjurers who actually bring the players in Macbeth
> to life. So in his version, the actors begin on stage as trees and
> come to life, naked and dirty, only after the witches make it so.
>
> FIND MORE STORIES IN: Shakespeare
> At no point are any of the actors covered, except for some mudlike
> makeup on their bodies. And all 10 performers remain on stage for the
> entire performance. The three witches, for example, crouch and scour
> and watch the action from the sidelines of the bare triangular stage,
> hissing their approval as the plot moves toward the vision they have
> foretold.
>
> Cast members say the audience response has varied from performance to
> performance. Kathleen Akerley, who plays Lady Macbeth, said the
> audience has been much more willing to volunteer its opinions, both
> positive and negative.
>
> "It's been a really fascinating phenomenon," Akerley said. Almost
> always, audience members will say they quickly got used to the nudity.
> But she suspects that while some people acclimate themselves, others
> merely block it out of their minds, which to a certain extent blunts
> its intended impact.
>
> An especially telling scene - in terms of audience reaction - occurs
> in the second act, when a drunken porter pointedly refers to alcohol's
> effect on lechery and sexual arousal. The humorous scene evokes
> laughter from some audiences and uncomfortable silence from others,
> said Sasha Olinick, who portrays the porter.
>
> "It forces (the audience) to recognize that your own mores, your own
> values come into play," Olinick said.
>
> There was some initial apprehension on opening night, Akerley said,
> when a few men arrived alone and early, muttering to themselves. But
> leering reactions have been a rarity.
>
> "The nudity in this play is not at all sexual or titillating," said
> Heather Haney, who plays one of the witches. "It's about being
> completely human."
>
> Akerley acknowledged some initial reservations about performing in the
> nude.
>
> "I was clinging to vanity. I didn't want to look unattractive," she
> said.
>
> But the actors said the fact that they were all in it together,
> including frequent rehearsals in the buff to become comfortable with
> the concept - helped develop a sense of camaraderie.
>
> "We had to support each other," said Daniel Eichner who plays Macbeth.
> "It really feels to me like a true ensemble performance."
>
> While Shakespeare has been subject to innumerable interpretations, and
> nudity is far from uncommon in theater, an all-nude production by a
> serious Shakespeare company is a rarity. Most reviews have not been
> favorable, particularly about the nudity. The Washington Post wrote
> that the lack of clothing lent an indistinguishable quality to the
> characters.
>
> "Clothes remain primary signifiers of an individual's place in a
> culture, so once apparel is cast aside, social boundaries become less
> clear," reviewer Celia Wren wrote.
>
> The theater's artistic director, Christopher Henley, who also plays
> both Duncan and Macduff, said criticism was not unexpected in
> Washington, which he said is a theatrically conservative town.
>
> While the 106-seat playhouse is fuller than it has been in several
> years, Henman said there have also been more intermission walkouts
> than before.
>
> "That's what happens when you take chances," Henley said.
>
> The production had been scheduled to conclude July 15, but it has been
> extended for another week.
>
> Macbeth is bringing to a close a six-month Shakespeare festival in
> Washington that has seen a variety of experimentation by multiple
> theater companies.
>
> In one, Macbeth was performed entirely in Tlingit, an American Indian
> language unique to southeast Alaska and Canada and spoken fluently by
> fewer than 300 people. At the Kennedy center, the New York-based Tiny
> Ninja Theater used inch-high toy ninjas and a large projection screen
> to retell Hamlet.

that's for handelgirl,fag jorden
 >> Stay informed about: Naked Shakespeare selling well despite critics 

On Jul 9, 1:37 pm, "ljo" <seniorcubrepor... DeleteThis @earthlink.net> wrote:
> The Opera Clown:
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Friends,Romans, Countrymen..lend me your............????"
>
> > "Now is the winter of our discontent (Geee.It is so cold being like
> > this.")
>
> > "Romeo..Romeo...why don't you put something on?"
>
> > "What a rogue without any clothing am I"
>
> > and do not forget:
>
> > Coriol Anus
>
> > King Leer
>
> > Tits Andronicus
>
> > Much Ado about Nothing On
>
> > Measure for Measure (How big is it??)
>
> > As You like it (see above) ch (insane)
>
> Mrs Smith would be so proud.

Is this a dagger I see before me? ... or are you just happy to see me?

You shall be King of Scotland until Birnham's Woody comes to
Dunsinane!
 >> Stay informed about: Naked Shakespeare selling well despite critics 

On Jul 8, 3:23 pm, P Diddle <pdidd....DeleteThis@diddle.dee> wrote:
> MacDuff in the buff: Nude Shakespeare sells despite critics
Why did they pick something dark and depressing like Macbeth though.
The Comedy of Errors or A Midsummer's Night Dream would fit much
better with nudity, and be hella funny.

Besides Macbeth's supposedly a cursed play and has more injuries and
mishaps than any others (really because of the torches and
swordplay). Superstitious actors call it "The Scottish Play" to avoid
invoking the bad luck.
 >> Stay informed about: Naked Shakespeare selling well despite critics 

The Opera Clown:

>
> "Friends,Romans, Countrymen..lend me your............????"
>
> "Now is the winter of our discontent (Geee.It is so cold being like
> this.")
>
> "Romeo..Romeo...why don't you put something on?"
>
>
> "What a rogue without any clothing am I"
>
> and do not forget:
>
> Coriol Anus
>
> King Leer
>
> Tits Andronicus
>
> Much Ado about Nothing On
>
> Measure for Measure (How big is it??)
>
> As You like it (see above) ch (insane)
>

Mrs Smith would be so proud.
 >> Stay informed about: Naked Shakespeare selling well despite critics 

<jjj_soper DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1184018855.103403.14780@o11g2000prd.googlegroups.com...
> On Jul 8, 3:23 pm, P Diddle <pdidd... DeleteThis @diddle.dee> wrote:
>> MacDuff in the buff: Nude Shakespeare sells despite critics
> Why did they pick something dark and depressing like Macbeth though.
> The Comedy of Errors or A Midsummer's Night Dream would fit much
> better with nudity, and be hella funny.

As described in the article, the director thought the raw animalism of
nudity fit what he saw as a tribal barbarian setting. I would have gone
with Conan-esque S&M animalistic costumes but, hey, mud works okay too I'm
sure.

> Besides Macbeth's supposedly a cursed play and has more injuries and
> mishaps than any others (really because of the torches and
> swordplay). Superstitious actors call it "The Scottish Play" to avoid
> invoking the bad luck.

Lots of people think salt is magical.
 >> Stay informed about: Naked Shakespeare selling well despite critics